The F-35’s Trillion Dollar Cost – How Did It Happen?

[rangerrebew]

The F-35’s Trillion Dollar Cost – How Did It Happen?
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By Lynn Haueter
February 26, 2021
 

Here come the nerds! Johns Hopkins University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Georgia Tech are working together to debug the balky software of the F-35, now the costliest weapons system in military history. Yet rather than teaming up to take down the bully, they’re joining forces to save his skin.

But who can blame them? The Federal grants keep on coming, and this bully is far more cunning than his prosaic movie counterpart. For decades, he has figured out just how much he can throw his weight around to get what he wants without getting expelled. The F-35’s manufacturer, Lockheed Martin Corporation, has now shaken loose a mind-melting $1 trillion in lunch money from American taxpayers. Let me say that again, $1 trillion! Enough is enough.

There’s a saying these days: “the new normal.” It’s mainly used to describe our dramatically-altered existence resulting from coronavirus to which we’ve (supposedly) become accustomed. It could, unfortunately, just as aptly be applied to our national tolerance for the federal procurement side of significant defense fabrication contracts.

https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2021/02/26/the_f-35s_trillion_dollar_cost__how_did_it_happen_661904.html

[PeteS in CA]

Oh, forking BS!. $1 Trillion is somebody's guesstimated total program cost from developing one of the most sophisticated and complex fighters in the world through the purchase of some 2400 planes, and probably includes guesstimated lifetime operational costs.

Is there a fighter or bomber since the F-15 or F-16 (or the F-4?) that anti-military people haven't tried to kill (and in the case of the F-22, succeeded in terminated production short of what was needed!)?

[SZonian]

Oh, forking BS!. $1 Trillion is somebody's guesstimated total program cost from developing one of the most sophisticated and complex fighters in the world through the purchase of some 2400 planes, and probably includes guesstimated lifetime operational costs.

Is there a fighter or bomber since the F-15 or F-16 (or the F-4?) that anti-military people haven't tried to kill (and in the case of the F-22, succeeded in terminated production short of what was needed!)?

The number does indeed include LIFETIME costs of ~40 years for the Program.

[Fishrrman]

Overdesign-gizmo-itis.

That's how it happens.

[rangerrebew]

Overdesign-gizmo-itis.

That's how it happens.

Over design, under monitor, and communicate poorly with the vendor.